VOLUME 120 ISSUE 20
SCIENCE
University researchers receive multi-million dollar grant
BY JOE PREINER jpreiner@kansan.com
A six-year, $20.2 million grant awarded to the University of Kansas on Monday could deepen researchers' understanding of human health.
The National Institutes of Health awarded the grant, the largest federally funded grant ever in the state, to a research team led by Jeff Aubé, professor of medicinal chemistry.
Aubé said the research would be focused on finding molecules for medical research.
The process consists of researchers finding what they refer to as hits, which are molecules with interesting properties that make them good candidates for further exploration.
Aubé said the next step in the process involved turning the hits into what researchers called probes. This involves taking the molecules and synthesizing them to make new molecules. Those new
molecules optimize the unique qualities found in the original hits.
"What's really important is the scientific opportunities this will provide," Aubé said. "It's the first step down a long road toward developing new therapies and medicines."
Kevin Boatright, director of research communications, said the University had several advantages over other schools competing for the grant. He said the researchers were renowned in the particular field the grant was given for, and that the University already had a building available for housing the Specialized Chemistry Center.
"The doors are open. The lights are on." Boatright said. "We're ready to go."
The money will provide researchers the opportunity to purchase the expensive equipment and supplies necessary for medical research. Aubé said many of the processes were automated, which helped the Institute arrive at the $20.2 million grant total. A portion of the grant will also
go toward hiring new researchers to work at the center.
The University is one of two in a nineinstitution network to have a specific Specialized Chemistry Center. Other institutions in the network include Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Aubé said collaborating with such prestigious programs was exciting.
"I's pretty good company to be in," Aubie said. "We feel we will be able to bring something to the table."
Kevin Frankowski, another researcher involved with the grant, said the award was rewarding on a personal and academic level. He said that the grant was indicative of the quality of research the University was involved with.
"It's really an honor to be a part of this effort," Frankowski said. "It really gives you a perspective of the elite group we've become a part of."
Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
Jeff Aube, professor of medicinal chemistry, is the principal investigator on a research project that recently received a six-year, $20.2 million grant awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The research project will focus on finding and exploring molecules for medical research.
— Edited by Scott R. Toland
RELIGION
Looking beyond the veil
Muslim students seek to eradicate common cultural misunderstandings
BY BETSY CUTCLIFF bcutcliff.kansan.com
Muslim women who wear a veil or headscarf are often misunderstood as being oppressed, according to some Muslim students at the University. This Ramadan, which began Sept. 1 and continues through the end of the month, Muslim women on campus hope to set the record straight.
Instead of embraced, these women are often misunderstood and branded with the social stigma that surrounds the veil, or hijab, according to Margaret Rausch, professor in the department of religious studies and expert on women in Islam.
"The media tends to portray these women as oppressed," she said. "If you ask someone on the street, they will say, 'Oh, these women have a horrible life,' and they connect it to veiling."
While gender equality is an issue in the Middle East, Rausch said Muslim women had a lot more freedom than most people thought.
"These women are young and progressive and are doing a lot of things with their lives. And they are wearing a headscarves because they choose to," she said. "They feel that women are being turned into sex object by the media. Sometimes a headscarf is a statement against this."
Wearing a veil or headscarf, which covers the hair but not the face, isn't only a religious practice of modesty, but is also a centuries-old tradition.
Aireej Alsomali, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia graduate student, sits on her prayer mat in a full veil in her apartment. Alsomali has been in America for seven and a half months.
She said wearing the veil was a personal choice. **Allison Richardson/MANSM**
"There are a lot of women who veil because their grandmother veiled and their mother veiled and they grew up that way," Rausch said.
Areej Alsomali, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, graduate student, compared her veiling to American women who choose to wear revealing clothes.
"Some are comfortable enough to do it, others aren't." Alomali said.
Al Buhayri said the girls who chose to veil in the United States did so to feel comfortable and safe, rather than out of
But some Muslim women, such as Dalal Al Buhayri, choose not to wear the veil.
"To me, it is a personal choice." Al Buhava, Rivah graduate student said.
Alsomali said wearing a veil helped her overcome homesickness.
Allison Richardson/KANSAN
obligation.
Scarf-wearing has sparked controversy in
both Western and Islamic countries,including recent conflicts in France, Turkey and Iran.
rights are issues all over the world, Rausch said modern Muslim women have a lot
SEE VEIL ON PAGE 3A
VOLUNTEERING
FULL STORY PAGE 3A
Student's visit to Africa prompts new relief group
FULL STORY PAGE 4A
Kansas Africa Relief, Inc., founded by senior Hannah Parkinson, is a new nonprofit organization in the area. KAR will have events today and tomorrow at Applebee's on Iowa Street and on Sept. 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in front of Wesco Hall. All money collected by the group will benefit AIDS patients and orphans in South Africa.
"Biodiversity is...," a new exhibit at the Natural History Museum, features artist interpretations of biodiversity. The grand opening for the exhibit will be tonight from 5 to 7.
CULTURE
Student documentary goes global
ART
Biodiversity represented in museum art exhibit
Sandra Ristovska, senior in film from Macedonia, created a documentary about her culture. It premiered at an international conference this summer.
FULL STORY PAGE 4A
index
Classifieds. ... 6B Opinion. ... 7A
Crossword. ... 6A Sports. ... 1B
Horoscopes. ... 6A Sudoku. ... 6A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2008 The University Daly Kansan
TEXTING SEEN AS DISTRACTION
Cell phone use while driving cause for concern. | 3A
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